Irresistible
by MsRaven
Summary: Post-Ep for 38 Minutes. Elizabeth is roaming the halls of Atlantis. WeirSheppard (minor UST)


**Irresistible**

**Summary:** Post-Ep for 38 Minutes. Weir does some late night thinking. Weir/Sheppard (minor UST).

**Spoilers: **Everything up to 38 Minutes

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and its characters do note belong to me. My imagination just borrows them from time to time.

**Author's Note: **This is my first Fan Fic – EVER. So please be kind if you choose to review. It hasn't been beta-ed. I have more FF started, so expect sequels to this one.

Text that is _italicized_ is meant to represent dialogue that's only in the character's own head. (Don't we all talk to ourselves every now and then?)

So Here Goes...

It was late and Atlantis was quiet. The halls were empty with the exception of a solitary figure walking slowly down the passageways, her head down and her thoughts far away. She shook her head and rolled her shoulders as if willing the tension out of her body. Dr. Elizabeth Weir sighed, knowing that it wasn't going to work. It had been too hectic of a day. A day too filled with the possibility of tragedy.

_They had almost lost him – lost all of them – today._

The thought came to her suddenly, for the hundredth time that night, and she stopped mid-stride. Elizabeth sighed again. She was never going to get any sleep at this rate. She had been walking the halls of Atlantis for hours, trying to wind down enough to get some sleep. But the image of Sheppard lying on the floor of the jumper, his face so pale, kept flashing through her head. She kept walking.

_They all could have died today, not just Maj. Sheppard. _

_Then why are you focusing on him? _

_Because he's the one I saw dead on the floor of the jumper. _

_Would it have been any less tragic if none of them had ever materialized on this side of the Stargate? _

_No. _

_So why is he so important? _

_Because...he's so at ease with the Ancient technology and we need him. _

_There are others with the gene that are improving and you know it – try again. _

_Because he's the ranking military officer. _

_And he's the most un-military person you've ever met aside from Gen. O'Neill – you can do better than that. _

_Because...because he just is!_

Elizabeth let out a little grunt of frustration. She'd been working up to this argument with herself all night too. She still hadn't figured out a good reason why the thought of losing Sheppard scared her so much. More so than anyone else on the jumper.

_Is that why she couldn't make herself sleep? Because the thought of losing Sheppard, even if they had gotten the others back, was too painful to bear?_

That thought made her stop in her tracks.

_No...they were all equally important to her. _

She nodded her head in an attempt to assure herself that was true.

_So why do you keep ending up in front of the infirmary?_

She looked up in shock. She was standing in front of the infirmary. A slight movement forward and the doors would open for her, just like the lights that had illuminated her way during her wanderings. If she had been paying attention, she would have marveled how the lights that followed her tonight were dimmed – mirroring her grim thoughts.

And as if the Ancients were reading her mind again, the doors in front of her opened causing her to jump back a bit in shock. Which is the only thing that prevented one of Beckett's nurse's from barging into her.

"Oh! Dr. Weir. You startled me. I wasn't expecting anyone to be up this early. Major Sheppard is pretty drugged up and will probably be asleep for a few more hours at least. I was going to run out and be back real quick. I just wanted a cup of coffee and snack. I would have come right back..." The young nurse trailed off and bit her lip guiltily as Elizabeth gave her a smile.

"It's okay." She reached over and gave the nurse a pat on the arm to reassure her that she wasn't in trouble for sneaking out on her patient. Elizabeth knew that the nurse was the youngest in Beckett's staff and was one of the youngest in all of Atlantis. She had drawn the short straw getting the night shift, so a quick run to get some coffee could be forgiven since her only patient was mostly just sleeping in the infirmary for observation.

"I'm sure that Maj. Sheppard will be okay while you go get a break. Get some coffee and take your time. If you want, I can sit with him until you get back."

The nurse smiled, relieved that she wasn't getting reprimanded. Elizabeth was relieved that she hadn't asked what the head of their little expedition was doing roaming the hallways in the wee hours of the morning.

Elizabeth stood outside the infirmary for a few moments after the nurse had disappeared down the hall. But realizing that she did not want to get caught standing outside the infirmary, again, she stepped inside.

_Being caught standing just inside the door wouldn't be much better Elizabeth. _

_I know – I just need a second to get my bearings in the dark. _

_Yeah, right. _

Oh God...now she seemed to making a habit of arguing with herself. Squaring her shoulders, she quietly walked over to the man on one of the beds. There was a small light on above his head and he looked peaceful laying there. Like he was just asleep and not drugged into unconsciousness after being brought back from the dead.

_I still can't believe he's alive._

Almost without knowing she was doing it, her hand reached out to brush a stray lock of hair away from his forehead. A small amount of contact – not enough to bother him, but enough so she knew he was really there. The huge ball of tension inside her slowly started to release it's grip on her gut.

_That's what I wanted to earlier when the rest of his team was here. To reach out and feel for myself that he was alive. That he was warm, not cold and dead like he looked in the jumper. _

Earlier, she had to keep her arms crossed to resist the urge to touch him in front of everyone. But now there was nobody else in the infirmary and he was asleep. She brushed back the same lock of hair she touched earlier and had to smile when it fell back over Sheppard's forehead.

_Not even his hair does what it's supposed to. It is getting a bit long. Way beyond what passes as acceptable in the military. But he probably kept it just inside regulations anyway. And it's not like they have a barbershop here in Atlantis. Now that would have been an interesting part of the questionnaire: What are your skills around hairdressing? Can you just cut or can you dye hair? How about highl –_

"Mmmmm....that feels nice."

As Elizabeth pulled her hand back to stifle a scream at the sound of Sheppard's voice, she realized that she'd been stroking his hair the whole time her thoughts had been rambling away about barbers. Her started eyes flew down to meet his sleepy ones. She watched the corners of his eyes crinkle as his lips slowly widened into a smile. She got the feeling that she was getting a taste of what it would like waking up next this man in bed.

_That is one of the sexiest things I've ever seen...and he knows it because now he's grinning like an idiot. _

She dropped her hand and narrowed her eyes at him, just stopping herself from giving him a full glare.

"Hi."

"Hello."

"You didn't have to stop. I said it felt nice."

"I thought you were asleep"

"And you can only be nice to me in my sleep?"

His eyes were twinkling with barely suppressed mischief and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Only because you can't talk when you're asleep."

"Awww, come on. I'm nice to you." Her only response was a slight tilt of her head and a raised eyebrow. "Mostly."

He started to struggle into a sitting position and she rushed to help. By raising the end of the bed and placing a pillow behind his head, Sheppard was able to mostly sit up.

"See. You like doing nice things for me."

"Don't get used to it."

"What? I only get special treatment when I come back from the dead?"

Elizabeth turned away quickly - afraid she wasn't quick enough to hide how un-funny she thought that joke was. She tries to recover quickly and turns back, her smile in place. But he's perceptive and notices that her eyes have lost the sparkle from their earlier banter.

"Oh, hey. Sorry. Bad joke?"

"No. Just tired. Must be affecting my sense of humor."

She realizes her mistake when his forehead scrunches up like he's trying to figure something out. He scrutinizes her and it's only years of training that keeps her from looking away. He seems to notice the dim lighting and empty infirmary for the first time.

"You look like you haven't slept in days. What time is anyway?"

Elizabeth looks over at one of the wall consoles and cringes at the numbers it displays.

"It's a little after 04:00"

"Earth or Atlantis time?"

"Atlantis."

"And you're here...why exactly?"

"I'm trying to be nice." She says it seriously, but her smirk betrays her. He gives a silent laugh in response.

Sheppard leans back against the pillows and they smirk at each other for a minute, then it's his turn to be serious. He grabs her hand that has been lightly resting on the edge of the bed.

"This wasn't your fault. You're doing a great job in Atlantis. Don't let me – and this - change that."

_Huh?_

"That's what I was really going to say. Back in the jumper."

_He was dying and he wanted to reassure me? I don't even know where to begin to respond to that._

"I figured that you'd take it the hardest."

All she can do is squeeze his hand, sensing this is one of those moments that can only be ruined with words. He squeezes back. Then she can see the corners of his mouth twitching and knows that his nature won't let a serious moment last too long.

"With you being madly in love with me and everything." He's grinning full force now, dimples and all.

Elizabeth laughs and tries to pull her hand away, trying not to notice how her heart skipped a bit at the comment.

"In your dreams Sheppard."

He tightens his hold and pulls her hand to rest over his heart.

"I know it's hard, but you need to learn and resist my boyish charms."

She finally succeeds in pulling her hand away and smacks him on the shoulder.

"You're incorrigible."

They're both laughing when they hear the infirmary door opens, announcing the return of the nurse.

"I'm back Dr. Weir."

Elizabeth mentally shakes her head when she sees the nurse straighten her uniform as she realizes that Maj. Sheppard is awake.

"Major Sheppard. You shouldn't be awake yet. Are you okay? In any pain?"

The nurse is a flurry of motion as she fussed around her patient. Sheppard looks over at Weir as the nurse beds to check his IV. He winks and silently mouths "irresistible". Elizabeth is forced to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing in front of the nurse.

"Um...I better go. It's nice to see you're doing well Major."

"Thanks Doc." He winks at her again. "Stop by anytime."

Elizabeth walks out of the infirmary still chuckling to herself. Realizing she'll probably only get a few hours of sleep, she quickly goes to her quarters and gets into bed. As she drifts off, the scene in the infirmary replays through her head and she smiles.

_That's it. We're friends. He makes me laugh. It would have been hard to lose that..._


End file.
